Amt of EBM vs amt drunk when baby latch on

[Jode]

Hi mummies,
Is it possible for the amt of bm that you express out to be lesser than the amt that baby actually drinks when she latches on?

Currently, I am back to work and trying to express bm for baby's feeds the next day. I realise that I am always unable to yield the amt that my baby drinks while we are separated. I always feel that the pump is not able to empty out my milk. (My baby needs a total of 480ml for the day, and each day, I only managed to bring back 400 to 460ml). I am using Medela PISA.

Has anyone faced the same issue? Any remedies, if this is the way it is?

 

[lsy]

Hi mummies,
Is it possible for the amt of bm that you express out to be lesser than the amt that baby actually drinks when she latches on?

Currently, I am back to work and trying to express bm for baby's feeds the next day. I realise that I am always unable to yield the amt that my baby drinks while we are separated. I always feel that the pump is not able to empty out my milk. (My baby needs a total of 480ml for the day, and each day, I only managed to bring back 400 to 460ml). I am using Medela PISA.

Has anyone faced the same issue? Any remedies, if this is the way it is?

Pump at night to make up the difference as when u r at work due to stress or time constraint getting a letdown is not easy.
How long have you been using the pump? Able to pump as much while at home...relax state? The pump breast flange have different sizes and this may affect output. Just want to make sure your body is getting used to your pump already by now.

 

[lyra]

I also find that the pump is unable to empty my breast while my baby can do that very well when latched on. Try to pump at 5am in the morning. I manage to get a lot more supply when I pump at ard that time.

 

[ast0212]

Babies are more efficient than the best hospital-grade pump I've only been able to express at most 60ml in total from both breasts throughout the time I've breastfed my son. Definitely is not a good indication of how much milk my son was actually getting. Count wet nappies since whatever goes in must come out :001_302:

As lyra mentioned, best to pump in the morning. Relax as much as possible and think/look at your baby to get a good let down

 

[Jode]

Pump at night to make up the difference as when u r at work due to stress or time constraint getting a letdown is not easy.
How long have you been using the pump? Able to pump as much while at home...relax state? The pump breast flange have different sizes and this may affect output. Just want to make sure your body is getting used to your pump already by now.

Well, i guess i will have to pump at night to make up the difference...
i've been practising with the pump about a mth before i start work. I think output is about the same. hard to compare cos i only pump once or twice while at home and the rest of the time, baby will latch.. now that i am back to work, have to pump. thats why i realise that i am having trouble meeting her demand...

 

[verieying]

Hi mummies,

need some advice. any advice welcome! as this is my 4 th kid and i hv never been successful in bf... and since now not working... hoping to tbf one day!

my baby goibg one month soon... so far ebm + fm as he had jaundice earlier and pediatrician taught us to monitor his intake etc etc... now that baby is well, thkg of slowly gping back to tbf...

i have e following probs:

as pumping, i realised that one side is significantly more than e other. eg.5-6 hrly pumping, one side can get 60-80ml while e other side is only 20-30ml... how do i increase my supply for the weaker side?

worried as the weaker side will not have enough milk for baby as he is drinking 120ml or so now! evem e fuller side also not enough?

what should i do to have say 4 hrly good supply of over 120ml?
as i tried latching, realised nipple has a pointed straight line shaped after baby latch, does that meAn that he has lat hed wonrgly? dont feel much pai. though slightly discomfort on nipple at times...

 

[lyra]

Oh no, u also have a pediatrician who taught u to feed formula. Is ur baby's jaundice level very high? My baby was 12 when he came home. The pediatrician wanted me to give formula at night and feed water but I insisted on total breastfeeding. Did some research on breastfeeding and I know breastmik is the best to wash off the bilirubin. Jaundice will remain in baby longer for total bf baby but it's very normal. I found a pediatrician who is breastfeeding friendly and advised me to feed breast milk totally. No need to measure baby's intake. If you are talking abt high and dangerous level of jaundice, then maybe stopping breastfeeding is beneficial, but not fir lower leve,s like this.

The most important for successful breastfeeding, is be very determined despite comments that put us down and be very pateint to teach baby to latch on well.

Pumping is not significant of the amount you are feeding baby. I suggest stopping to pump to measure how much baby is taking and start to monitor him: How he looks after a feed satisfied or still crying for milk? How much pee and poo he is having? Wet his diapers 6times a day is ok. It is normal for some total bf baby to go wihtout poo for a few days. Read up a lot of breastfeeding baby and prob to do with relactation and Breastfeeding so that you are well informed and will not falter when someone give discouraging comments. On total breastfeeding, we'll never know how much baby is taking but as long as my baby is gaining weight, he's fine. As long as you do this, your milk supply will go up to what baby demands.

My 3month old baby boy is 6.7kg. he's on total breastfeeding and I never measure how much EBM he takes. If the pediatrician ask you how much EBM baby takes even though you tell her or him you are total breastfeeding, then he or she is prob not breastfeeding friendly or doesnt know enough about breastfeeding.

Jia you, mummy!

 

[ast0212]

Hi verieying,

Congrats on the birth of your baby!!

It's totally normal that one side can produce more than the other! Boobs are funny, each one is constructed differently so some may have more glands than others...and in turn babies may have a favourite side as well!

If you can, try to wean off FM as this can decrease your supply. To make more milk, more milk needs to be removed from the breast and the best way to do this is to latch baby frequently. Try offering milk as often as baby will take it. It could be every hour or 2 hourly since your baby is still young.

Yep it's also normal to have a little line in the beginning. Baby's mouth is still small. Check for other issues like tongue tie just to rule it out. If it's not causing pain it should be fine

All the best!!

 

[verieying]

ThNanks lyra, ast0212,

Yeah tried latching but he isnot satisfied after eAch feed, so i am sure it isnotenough... sigh...

 

[Button]

I have always been latching directly but was sick once and needed my family members to help take over feeding my child. I also had trouble expressing milk using a Medela pump as very little came out. This stressed me as I worried my milk supply had diminished significantly due to the sickness.

Thankfully I had good sense to call my lactation consultant who told me that for a pump to extract well, it was best to use one with a soft suction shell as it would mimic the sucking and compressing action of our children's mouths on our areolas. Mine was a hard shell - so it only acted as a vacumm, without the compression. Therefore, the problem wasn't with my milk supply, but with my pump.

It's also true that our breasts have more milk in the mornings as compared to later in the evening and nights. The milk later in the day is richer and creamier than in the morning. You can see the difference in texture by pressing your areola.

If you have to express milk, invest in a good pump with a soft shell, expressing at regular intervals and do not supplement with formula. Nothing beats mother's milk.